Terminal apparatus, content transmission method, content transmission program, and content playback system

ABSTRACT

A terminal apparatus includes: by way of a gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with an in-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CAN bus, a first communication section configured to transmit command information for changing a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and a second communication section configured to transmit content data to the in-vehicle apparatus.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/378,525, filed Dec. 14, 2016, and claims thepriority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/150,288, filed Jan. 8,2014, and claims the priority from prior Japanese Priority PatentApplication JP 2013-007884 filed Jan. 18, 2013, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present technique relates to a terminal apparatus, a contenttransmission method, a content transmission program, and a contentplayback system.

In recent years, mobile terminal apparatuses, such as a mobile phone, asmart phone, and the like, that have a large variety of applications forproviding various services and functions have become widespread. And inorder to improve convenience by the applications furthermore, it isdesired that those mobile terminal apparatuses cooperate with the otherapparatuses and the other networks. For example, proposals have beenmade of a vehicle communication system and a gateway apparatus thatallow general mobile terminals to connect to an in-vehicle network(Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-236560).

SUMMARY

However, in the technique described in Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 2005-236560, there has been a problem inthat significant roles are demanded for a conversion machine between anin-vehicle network and a wireless communication (for example, a devicethat is referred to as a gateway, and so on). For example, it isnecessary to obtain content lists held by both of the devices in orderto keep information, and to provide the content lists. Also, if arequest has been received from one of the devices, it is necessary toobtain a content from the other device, to temporarily hold the content,and to transmit the content to the requesting device. Although deviceperformance is dependent on a content compression ratio, and so on of agateway, a gateway that plays such roles have a problem in that higherdevice performance is generally demanded of the gateway than a gatewaythat only transfers commands. Accordingly, the gateway necessarilybecomes expensive. Also, there is a risk of becoming difficult to fullysupport a content that includes a high-quality sound and a high-qualityimage.

The present technique has been made in view of these points. It isdesirable to provide a terminal apparatus, a content transmissionmethod, a content transmission program, and a content playback systemthat make it possible to transmit and receive a content withoutincreasing demands for a gateway.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda terminal apparatus including: by way of a gateway apparatus configuredto perform communication with an in-vehicle apparatus capable of playingback a content through a CAN bus, a first communication sectionconfigured to transmit command information for changing a mode of thein-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and a secondcommunication section configured to transmit content data to thein-vehicle apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a method of transmitting a content, the method including: byway of a gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with anin-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CANbus, transmitting command information for changing a mode of thein-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and transmittingcontent data to the in-vehicle apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a content transmission program for causing a computer toperform a method of transmitting a content, the method including: by wayof a gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with anin-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CANbus, transmitting command information for changing a mode of thein-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and transmittingcontent data to the in-vehicle apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a content playback system including: a terminal apparatusincluding to a gateway apparatus configured to perform communicationwith an in-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through aCAN bus, a first communication section configured to transmit commandinformation for changing a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus, and asecond communication section configured to transmit content data to thein-vehicle apparatus; a gateway apparatus configured to transmit thecommand information transmitted from the terminal apparatus to thein-vehicle apparatus; and an in-vehicle apparatus configured to playback the content data transmitted from the terminal apparatus.

By the present technique, it is possible to transfer a content throughan in-vehicle network without increasing demands on a gateway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a contentplayback system according to the present technique;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminalapparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a gatewayapparatus;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a format of data transmitted from agateway apparatus to a car audio apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a car audioapparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a connection mode between a caraudio apparatus and the other apparatuses installed in a vehicle using aCAN bus;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow according to thefirst embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminalapparatus according to a second embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a car audioapparatus according to the second embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow according to thesecond embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow according to thesecond embodiment of the present technique;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminalapparatus according to a third embodiment of the present technique; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow according to thethird embodiment of the present technique.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, descriptions will be given of embodiments of thepresent technique with reference to the drawings. However, the presenttechnique is not limited to the following embodiments. In this regard,the descriptions will be given in the following order.

1. First Embodiment

1.1 Configuration of content playback system1.2 Configuration of terminal apparatus1.3 Configuration of gateway apparatus1.4 Configuration of car audio apparatus1.5 Processing in content playback system

2. Second Embodiment

2.1 Configuration of terminal apparatus2.2 Configuration of car audio apparatus2.3 Processing in content playback system

3. Third Embodiment

3.1 Configuration of terminal apparatus3.2 Processing in content playback system

4. Variations 1. First Embodiment 1.1 Configuration of Content PlaybackSystem

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of acontent playback system 10 according to the present technique. Thecontent playback system 10 includes a terminal apparatus 100, a gatewayapparatus 200, and a car audio apparatus 300, which is an in-vehicleapparatus.

In the terminal apparatus 100, a content streaming application has beeninstalled, and the terminal apparatus 100 has a function of streaming acontent, such as music, a moving image, a still image, and the like. Theterminal apparatus 100 has a wired or/and wireless communicationfunctions. For the terminal apparatus 100, for example, a mobile phone,a smart phone, a mobile music player, a tablet terminal, a personalcomputer, a digital camera, and the like are provided.

The gateway apparatus 200 is a network apparatus that performs datatransfer between the terminal apparatus 100 and the car audio apparatus300. The gateway apparatus 200 is connected to a car audio apparatus 300through an in-vehicle Local Area Network (LAN) called Controller AreaNetwork (CAN). CAN is one of network standards used for mutualcommunications between devices in a vehicle, and the like. A serialcommunication method called a CAN bus method is employed in CAN. CAN hasa characteristic which is excellent in noise resistance, highlyreliable, and allows setting of a maximum transfer speed to about 1Megabits per second (Mbps), and so on. A plurality of devices,apparatuses (nodes) are connected to a CAN bus, and each node performsdata transmission and reception through a CAN bus. Individual nodesinclude, for example a plurality of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) thatcontrol individual parts of a vehicle.

The car audio apparatus 300 is mounted in a vehicle, such as anautomobile, and so on, and has a function of playing back a content,such as music, a moving image and the like. The car audio apparatus 300has a wired or/and wireless communication function.

In the present embodiment, all of the terminal apparatus 100, thegateway apparatus 200, and the car audio apparatus 300 are assumed toindividually include communication modules that allow at least two kindsof communication methods or more. The terminal apparatus 100, thegateway apparatus 200, and the car audio apparatus 300 are mutuallyconnected, and are capable of transmitting and receiving data. A contentis directly transmitted from the terminal apparatus 100 to the car audioapparatus 300. In this regard, each apparatus may be connected througheither wireless communication or wired communication. A detaileddescription will be given later of the configuration of each apparatus.

1.2 Configuration of Terminal Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of the terminal apparatus 100 includedin the content playback system 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagramillustrating a configuration of the terminal apparatus 100. The terminalapparatus 100 includes a first communication section 110, a secondcommunication section 120, a storage section 130, an input section 140,a display section 150, and a control section 160.

The first communication section 110 is a communication module thatperforms data transmission and reception with the gateway apparatus 200and the car audio apparatus 300 using a predetermined communicationmethod. The communication method includes Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), awireless LAN, a 3G network, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and so on. Inthis regard, in the present embodiment, a description will be given onthe assumption that the first communication section 110 performscommunication using Wi-Fi.

The second communication section 120 is a communication module thatperforms data transmission and reception with the car audio apparatus300 using a predetermined communication method. The communication methodincludes, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a wireless LAN, a 3G network,LTE (Long Term Evolution), and so on. In this regard, in the presentembodiment, a description will be given on the assumption that thesecond communication section 120 performs communication using Bluetooth.

By communication through the first communication section 110 and thesecond communication section 120, it becomes possible for the terminalapparatus 100 to connect to the Internet, and to perform communicationwith the other apparatuses. In this regard, the communication method isnot limited to the above-described wireless communication method, andmay be a wired communication, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB)connection, a LAN cable connection, or the like. Also, as long as amethod enables data communication, any method other than theabove-described communication methods may be employed. The communicationmethod may be suitably selected on the basis of the model of theterminal apparatus 100, the kind of Operation System (OS), and the like.In this regard, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the firstcommunication section 110 performs communication by Wi-Fi, and thesecond communication section 120 performs communication using Bluetooth.

The storage section 130 is constituted by a large-capacity storagemedium, such as an Hard Disc Drive (HDD), an Solid State Drive (SSD), anonvolatile memory, and so on, for example. The storage section 130stores content data, such as sound, moving images, and so on,applications, and various kinds of data that are necessary for operationof the terminal apparatus 100. The storage section 130 may be anexternal storage medium that is detachable from the terminal apparatus100, an SD memory card, or the like, for example.

In this regard, in the present embodiment, a description has been givenof the case where a content that is transmitted from the terminalapparatus 100 to the car audio apparatus 300 and is played back by thecar audio apparatus 300 is an audio content, such as music, or the likeas an example. However, a content that is transmitted from the terminalapparatus 100 to the car audio apparatus 300 and is played back by thecar audio apparatus 300 is not limited to an audio content, and may bethe other content, such as a moving image content, an image content, andso on.

The input section 140 is an input mechanism for the user to performvarious kinds of input to the terminal apparatus 100. For example, theinput section 140 is formed by a button, a touch panel, a switch, or thelike. Also, the input section 140 may be formed as a touch screen, whichis integrated with the display section 150. When a user performs inputoperation on the input section 140, the input section 140 generates acontrol signal corresponding to the input, and outputs the controlsignal to the control section 160. And the control section 160 performscalculation processing and control corresponding to the control signal.

The display section 150 is a display mechanism constituted by, forexample an Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP),an organic Electro Luminescence (EL) panel, or the like. On the displaysection 150, a home screen on which a menu of various operations of theterminal apparatus 100 is displayed, a content list, information (anartist name, a music name, and so on) on an audio content being playedback, a moving image content, an image content, and the like aredisplayed.

The control section 160 includes, for example, a Central Processing Unit(CPU), a Random Access Memory (RAM) and a Read Only Memory (ROM), and soon. The ROM stores a program, which is read and operated by the CPU, andthe like. The RAM is used for a work memory of the CPU. The controlsection 160 executes streaming applications so as to function as anapplication control section 161, a Graphical User Interface (GUI)control section 162, a memory access control section 163, a streamingcontrol section 164, an in-vehicle LAN command control section 165, anda state determination section 166.

The present technique is achieved by an application processor, such asthe control section 160, and so on executing the application programinstalled in the terminal apparatus 100. However, the present techniqueis not achieved only by an application program, but may be achieved by acombination of individual pieces of hardware having functions of theapplication control section 161, the GUI control section 162, the memoryaccess control section 163, the streaming control section 164, thein-vehicle LAN command control section 165, and the state determinationsection 166.

The application control section 161 manages and controls the entirefunction of the application. When a user inputs an instruction tooperate in a streaming mode to the input section 140, the applicationcontrol section 161 changes the terminal apparatus 100 to the streamingmode in accordance with the instruction.

The GUI control section 162 generates a GUI menu for combining variouskinds of images to be displayed on the display section 150, and suppliesthe GUI menu to the display section 150. Thereby, various kinds ofmenus, and icons, and so on are displayed on the display section 150 inorder for the user to use the present technique.

The memory access control section 163 reads various kinds of data, suchas content data, and so on from the storage section 130 in accordancewith an instruction from the application control section 161.

The streaming control section 164 converts the content data read fromthe storage section 130 into a predetermined data format on the basis ofa streaming method, and supplies the content data to the secondcommunication section 120. The content data is transmitted to the caraudio apparatus 300 through the second communication section 120.

The in-vehicle LAN command control section 165 generates a predeterminedcommand for the car audio apparatus 300 to make a transition to thestreaming playback mode, and supplies the command to the firstcommunication section 110. The command is transmitted to the gatewayapparatus 200 through the first communication section 110.

The state determination section 166 receives the command transmittedfrom the terminal apparatus 100 through the gateway apparatus 200, anddetermines whether the car audio apparatus 300 has changed to thestreaming playback mode. The car audio apparatus 300 notifies a state ofitself on the CAN bus all the time. Accordingly, the terminal apparatus100 is allowed to check the mode of the car audio apparatus 300 bymonitoring communication on the CAN bus through the gateway apparatus200. Thereby, it is possible to confirm that the car audio apparatus 300has become the streaming playback mode, and the input sound source ofthe car audio apparatus 300 has become the streaming sound source fromthe terminal apparatus 100.

The terminal apparatus 100 is configured as described above.

1.3 Configuration of Gateway Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the gatewayapparatus 200 with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagramillustrating the configuration of the gateway apparatus 200. The gatewayapparatus 200 includes a third communication section 210, a fourthcommunication section 220, a terminal connection control section 230, anin-vehicle LAN connection control section 240, and a protocol conversionprocessing section 250.

The third communication section 210 performs data transmission andreception with the terminal apparatus 100 using a predeterminedcommunication method. The communication method includes Wi-Fi, awireless LAN, a 3G network, LTE, and so on. In this regard, in thepresent embodiment, a description will be given on the assumption thatthe third communication section 210 performs communication using Wi-Fi.

The fourth communication section 220 is connected to the CAN bus of thein-vehicle LAN, and is a CAN communication module for performingcommunication with the car audio apparatus 300. In this manner, thegateway apparatus 200 has a CAN communication function and a wiredand/or a wireless communication function.

The terminal connection control section 230 performs predeterminedprocessing, such as management of an Service Set Identifier (SSID),which is an access point identifier, a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)password, a password corresponding to a network name, and the like,checking, authentication, and so on in order for the third communicationsection 210 to perform communication with the terminal apparatus 100.

The in-vehicle LAN connection control section 240 performs connectioncontrol on the fourth communication section 220 for connecting to CAN,which is an in-vehicle LAN, so that the fourth communication section 220connects to the in-vehicle LAN.

The protocol conversion processing section 250 performs predeterminedconversion processing so as to transmit the command transmitted from theterminal apparatus 100 to the car audio apparatus 300. A descriptionwill be given of this point with reference to FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, data corresponding to “Identifier Field” and“Data Field 0-8 Byte” are transmitted from the terminal apparatus 100 tothe gateway apparatus 200 as command data. When the gateway apparatus200 receives the data, the protocol conversion processing section 250adds information other than “Identifier Field” and “Data Field 0-8Byte”, which are illustrated in FIG. 4. The information to be addedincludes data check information, footer information, and the like. Andthe gateway apparatus 200 supplies a packet including the additionalinformation other than “identifier Field” and “Data Field 0-8 Byte” tothe CAN bus so as to transmit the packet to the car audio apparatus 300.

Also, the protocol conversion processing section 250 monitors the packettransmitted from the car audio apparatus 300 on the in-vehicle LAN, andextracts parts corresponding to “Identifier Field” and “Data Field 0-8Byte” to transmit the parts to the terminal apparatus 100. It ispossible for the state determination section 166 of the terminalapparatus 100 to determine whether the mod of the car audio apparatus300 has been changed or not using the transmitted data.

The gateway apparatus 200 is configured as described above.

1.4 Configuration of Car Audio Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the car audioapparatus 300 as an in-vehicle apparatus with reference to FIG. 5. FIG.5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the car audioapparatus 300. The car audio apparatus 300 is an apparatus capable ofplaying back an audio content. The car audio apparatus 300 includes afifth communication section 310, a sixth communication section 320, aninput section 330, a display section 340, a control section 350, a GUIcontrol section 360, an in-vehicle LAN command control section 370, astreaming control section 380, an audio signal processing section 390,and a sound source section 395.

The fifth communication section 310 is a CAN communication module forperforming communication with the CAN bus of the in-vehicle LAN. Thefifth communication section 310 performs communication with the gatewayapparatus 200 through the CAN bus.

The sixth communication section 320 is a communication module thatperforms data transmission and reception with the terminal apparatus 100using a predetermined communication method. The communication methodincludes, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a wireless LAN, a 3G network,LTE, and so on. In this regard, in the present embodiment, a descriptionwill be given on the assumption that the sixth communication section 320performs communication with the terminal apparatus 100 using Bluetooth.

In this regard, the communication method is not limited to one of thesewireless communication methods, and may be a wired communication, suchas a USB connection, a LAN cable connection, or the like. Also, as longas a method enables data communication, any method other than theabove-described communication method may be employed. In this manner,the car audio apparatus 300 has the CAN communication function and thewired and/or wireless communication function.

The input section 330 is an input mechanism for the user to performvarious kinds of input to the car audio apparatus 300. For example, theinput section 330 is formed by a button, a touch panel, a switch, or thelike. Also, the input section 330 may be formed as a touch screen, whichis integrated with the display section 340. When a user performs inputoperation on the input section 330, the input section 330 generates acontrol signal corresponding to the input, and outputs the controlsignal to the control section 350. And the control section 350 performscalculation processing and control which corresponds to the controlsignal.

The display section 340 is a display mechanism constituted by, forexample an LCD, a PDP, an organic EL panel, or the like. On the displaysection 340, a home screen on which a menu of various operations of thecar audio apparatus 300 is displayed, a content list, information (anartist name, a music name, and so on) on an audio content being playedback, a moving image content, an image content, and the like aredisplayed.

The control section 350 includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, andthe like. The ROM stores a program that is read and operated by the CPU,and the like. The RAM is used for a work memory of the CPU. The CPUperforms various kinds of processing in accordance with the programstored in the ROM so as to control the entire car audio apparatus 300,and individual sections thereof. When the control section 350 receives acommand transmitted from the terminal apparatus 100 through the gatewayapparatus 200, the control section 350 changes the mode of the car audioapparatus 300 to the streaming playback mode in which streaming playbackis performed. Also, at that time, the input sound source of thestreaming playback is changed to a predetermined sound source. In thepresent embodiment, in order to play back the content transmitted fromthe second communication section 120 of the terminal apparatus 100, theinput sound source is changed to Bluetooth so as to correspond to thesecond communication section 120 of the terminal apparatus 100.

The GUI control section 360 generates a GUI menu for combining variouskinds of images to be displayed on the display section 340, and suppliesthe GUI menu to the display section 340. Thereby, various kinds ofmenus, and icons, and so on are displayed on the display section 340 inorder for the user to use the present technique.

The in-vehicle LAN command control section 370 performs predeterminedprocessing on the command data for causing the car audio apparatus 300to make a transition to the streaming playback mode, which has beenreceived through the CAN of the in-vehicle LAN, and supplies the commanddata to the control section 350. Also, the in-vehicle LAN commandcontrol section 370 performs the function of transmitting command dataon the in-vehicle LAN all the time in order to indicate the state of thecar audio apparatus 300 itself.

The streaming control section 380 converts the content data, which wastransmitted from the terminal apparatus 100 and received by the sixthcommunication section 320, into an audio signal, and supplies thecontent data to the audio signal processing section 390. In this manner,the car audio apparatus 300 has a function of playing back the contenttransmitted from an external apparatus using streaming.

The audio signal processing section 390 performs necessary processing,such as Digital/Analog (D/A) conversion, amplification, and the like onthe audio signal supplied from the streaming control section 380, andsupplies the audio signal to an external amplifier, a pre-out, and thelike. And sound is output from a speaker that is connected to theamplifier or the pre-out.

The sound source section 395 outputs an audio content of an optical discplayer, a radio, or the like, such as a Compact Disc (CD), a DigitalVersatile Disc (DVD), Blu-ray, and so on, for example. In this regard,in the present embodiment, a content played back by the car audioapparatus 300 is an audio content, such as music, and the like. However,the content is not limited to an audio content, and the other contents,such as a moving image content, an image content, and so on may beplayed back.

The car audio apparatus 300 is configured as described above. In thisregard, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the communicationbetween the terminal apparatus 100 and the gateway apparatus 200 isperformed using Wi-Fi. Also, it is assumed that transmission andreception of content data between the terminal apparatus 100 and the caraudio apparatus 300 is performed using Bluetooth. However, thecommunication method is not limited to those. The communication betweenthe gateway apparatus 200 and the car audio apparatus 300 is performedusing a CAN bus.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a connection mode between the caraudio apparatus 300 and the other apparatuses installed in a vehicle. Inthe vehicle, apparatuses that are mainly related to content playback,such as an amplifier 1100, a car audio apparatus 300, a console panel1000, a gateway apparatus 200, and the like are connected to a first CANbus 1400. And the first CAN bus 1400 is connected to a meter panel 1300.

A second CAN bus 1500, which is different from the first CAN bus 1400,is connected to the meter panel 1300. Apparatuses and equipment that arerelated to running of a vehicle, such as an engine, gears, doors,lights, and so on are connected to the second CAN bus 1500. However,those apparatuses and equipment are not directly related to the presenttechnique, and thus their illustrations in FIG. 6 and the descriptionswill be omitted. In such a connection mode, the meter panel 1300 servesa function of a gateway.

Also, an amplifier 1100 is connected to the car audio apparatus 300.Further, the amplifier 1100 is connected to a speaker 1200. An audiosignal supplied from the car audio apparatus 300 to the amplifier 1100is amplified by the amplifier 1100, and is supplied to the speaker 1200so as to be output as sound.

The car audio apparatus 300 is configured as described above.

1.5 Processing in Content Playback System

Next, a description will be given of processing in the content playbacksystem 10. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow in thecontent playback system 10. In this regard, it is assumed thatauthentication, pairing, and the like for communication among theterminal apparatus 100, the gateway apparatus 200, and the car audioapparatus 300 have been carried out in advance.

First, in step S101, the input section 140 of the terminal apparatus 100receives operation of selecting the streaming playback mode from a user.A control signal in accordance with the input by the user is transmittedfrom the input section 140 to the application control section 161, andthe terminal apparatus 100 operates in the streaming playback mode underthe control of the application control section 161.

Next, in step S102, the terminal apparatus 100 transmits the command tothe gateway apparatus 200 so as to transmit the command to the car audioapparatus 300 through the gateway apparatus 200. By receiving thiscommand, the control section 350 of the car audio apparatus 300 changesthe car audio apparatus 300 to the streaming playback mode for playingback the content transmitted from the terminal apparatus 100.

Next, in step S103, the state determination section 166 of the terminalapparatus 100 determines whether the car audio apparatus 300 has beenchanged to the streaming playback mode, and an input sound source of thestreaming playback mode has been selected suitably. For example, if theterminal apparatus 100 and the car audio apparatus 300 are connectedthrough Bluetooth, a determination is made of whether Bluetooth has beenselected as the streaming input sound source. As described above, it ispossible to confirm this by the terminal apparatus 100 monitoringcommunication on the CAN bus through the gateway apparatus 200.

By the determination in step S103, if confirmed that the mode of the caraudio apparatus 300 and the input sound source are suitable, theprocessing proceeds from step S104 to step S105 (Yes in step S104).

And in step S105, the terminal apparatus 100 executes streaming of thecontent to the car audio apparatus 300. The streaming data is directlytransmitted from the terminal apparatus 100 to the car audio apparatus300 using Bluetooth without passing through the gateway apparatus 200.Thereby, it becomes possible to play back the content stored in theterminal apparatus 100 by the car audio apparatus 300.

On the other hand, if determined that Bluetooth has not been selected asthe input sound source in the car audio apparatus 300 by thedetermination in step S103, the processing proceeds from step S104 tostep S106 (No in step S104).

Next, in step S106, a determination is made of whether a predeterminedtime period has passed or not. A clock function that is usually providedin the terminal apparatus, or the like ought to be used for timekeeping.If the predetermined time period has not passed, the processing proceedsto step S103, a determination is made of again whether the car audioapparatus 300 is in the streaming playback mode, and Bluetooth isselected as the input sound source.

On the other hand, if determined that the predetermined time period hasnot passed in step S106, the processing proceeds to step S107 (Yes instep S106). And in step S107, the application control section 161 of theterminal apparatus 100 notifies an error to the user. The error isnotified because the car audio apparatus 300 has not been changed to thestreaming playback mode after the elapse of the predetermined timeperiod, and thus some trouble might have occurred in any one of theapparatuses or the network. Accordingly, the error is notified to theuser.

For a method of notifying the error, it is thought that a characterstring, an image, an icon, or the like is displayed on the displaysection 150 under the control of the GUI control section 162, or a soundmessage is output from a speaker included in the terminal apparatus 100,and so on. The display on the display section 150 and the sound messagemay be used at the same time. In this regard, an error may be notifiedat both the terminal apparatus 100 and the car audio apparatus 300, ormay be notified at either one of the apparatuses.

The processing in the first embodiment is performed as described above.By the first embodiment, it becomes possible to change the mode of thecar audio apparatus 300 only by operating the terminal apparatus 100without directly operating the car audio apparatus 300.

Usually, the operation panel of the car audio apparatus 300 is disposedat the front seat side, and thus it is difficult for a person seated inthe rear seat in a vehicle to operate the operation panel, or it isnecessary for the person to lean forward in order to operate theoperation panel, which is inconvenient. Thus, using the techniqueaccording to the present embodiment, it is possible for a person seatedin a rear seat to change the mode of the car audio apparatus 300 byoperating the terminal apparatus 100 without directly operating the caraudio apparatus 300, and thus it becomes possible to easily play backthe content.

Also, the gateway apparatus 200 performs only the transmission andreception of command data, and does not perform transmission andreception of content data. It is therefore not necessary to demand highperformance of the gateway apparatus 200. Accordingly, the gatewayapparatus will not become expensive. Otherwise, an increased price ofthe gateway apparatus is caused by an increase in performance of thegateway apparatus 200. Also, it is not necessary for the gatewayapparatus to have high performance, and thus it is possible to support ahigh-quality sound and a high-quality image of a content in the futurewithout changing the existing gateway apparatuses.

2. Second Embodiment 2.1 Configuration of Terminal Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the presenttechnique. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of aterminal apparatus 400 according to the second embodiment of the presenttechnique. The terminal apparatus 400 according to the second embodimentis different from the first embodiment in the point of being providedwith a microphone 410 and an equalizer analysis/determination section420. The other components are the same as those of the first embodiment,and thus the descriptions thereof are omitted.

The microphone 410 is an audio input mechanism for inputting sound tothe terminal apparatus 400. The sound input into the microphone 410 isconverted into an analog audio signal, and is supplied to the equalizeranalysis/determination section 420.

The equalizer analysis/determination section 420 analyzes the audiosignal input from the microphone 410, and determines a suitableequalizer setting at the time of playing back a content. For a suitableequalizer setting, for example, if a low frequency range not higher thanabout 100 Hz has a predetermined value or more, the gain for a frequencynot higher than 100 Hz is decreased by a certain amount. Also, if thelow frequency range has a predetermined value or less, the gain for thelow frequency range is increased by a certain amount, and so on. This isthe same for a high frequency range, and a medium frequency range. Also,a large number of pre-set values for equalizer setting are stored in acar audio apparatus 500 in advance, and a pre-set value may be selectedto match an analysis result of an input sound so as to determine anequalizer setting.

The determined equalizer setting information is transmitted from theterminal apparatus 400 to the gateway apparatus 200, and is transmittedto the car audio apparatus 500 through the gateway apparatus 200. Whenthe car audio apparatus 500 receives the equalizer setting information,the car audio apparatus 500 performs its own equalizer adjustment inaccordance with the equalizer setting information.

Also, in the second embodiment, the state determination section 166monitors communication on the CAN bus through the gateway apparatus 200to obtain the state of the car audio apparatus 500 so as to grasp thestate of the equalizer. And the state determination section 166 comparesthe grasped state of the equalizer, and the equalizer setting valuecalculated by the equalizer analysis/determination section 420 so as todetermine whether the equalizer of the car audio apparatus 500 has beenproperly set or not.

2.2 Configuration of Car Audio Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of the car audio apparatus 500according to a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustratinga configuration of the car audio apparatus 500 according to the secondembodiment. The car audio apparatus 500 in the second embodiment isdifferent from the first embodiment in the point of being provided withan equalizer setting section 510. The other components are the same asthose of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof areomitted.

The equalizer setting section 510 performs setting of the equalizer inthe audio signal processing section 390 on the basis of the equalizersetting information transmitted from the terminal apparatus 400 throughthe gateway apparatus 200. Thereby, it is possible for the car audioapparatus 500 to play back sound by the equalizer setting calculated bythe terminal apparatus 400.

2.3 Processing in Content Playback System

Next, a description will be given of processing in the content playbacksystem 10 according to the second embodiment with reference to theflowcharts in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. The same step number is given to thesame processing as that in the first embodiment, and the detaileddescription thereof is omitted.

After the processing in step S101 and step S102, in step S201, theterminal apparatus 400 transmits the command data for initializing theequalizer setting of the car audio apparatus 500 to the car audioapparatus 500 through the gateway apparatus 200. By receiving thiscommand data, the equalizer setting section 510 of the car audioapparatus 500 initializes the equalizer setting of the car audioapparatus 500.

Next, in step S103, the state determination section 166 of the terminalapparatus 400 determines whether the car audio apparatus 500 has beenchanged to the streaming playback mode, and an input sound source of thestreaming playback mode has been selected suitably. Further, the statedetermination section 166 determines whether the equalizer setting ofthe car audio apparatus 500 has been returned to the initial state. Asdescribed above, the car audio apparatus 500 notifies the state ofitself on the CAN bus all the time. Accordingly, it is possible for theterminal apparatus 400 to check the equalizer setting of the car audioapparatus 500 by monitoring communication on the CAN bus through thegateway apparatus 200 in the same manner as the determination of themode of the car audio apparatus 500.

And if the mode of the car audio apparatus 500 is the streaming playbackmode, Bluetooth is selected as the input sound source, and further thesetting of the equalizer has been initialized, the processing proceedsfrom step S203 to step S105 (Yes in step S203). Next, in step S105,streaming from the terminal apparatus 400 to the car audio apparatus 500is executed using Bluetooth.

On the other hand, if any one of the cases that the car audio apparatus500 is in the streaming playback mode, that Bluetooth is selected as aninput sound source, and that the setting of the equalizer has beeninitialized has not occurred, the processing proceeds from step S203 tostep S106 (No in step S203).

And if the result of a determination in step S106 of whether apredetermined time period has passed is Yes, the terminal apparatus 400notifies an error to the user in step S107. This error notification iscarried out in the same manner as the first embodiment, and thus theerror is notified by a display on the display section 150 and a soundmessage, or the like.

When the streaming is executed in step S105, next, in step S204, theequalizer analysis/determination section 420 of the terminal apparatus400 determines the equalizer setting on the basis of the input soundfrom the microphone 410. And the determined equalizer settinginformation is transmitted to the gateway apparatus 200, and istransmitted to the car audio apparatus 500 through the gatewayapparatus.

And in step S205, the equalizer setting section 510 of the car audioapparatus 500 performs the equalizer setting of the car audio apparatus500 on the basis of the received equalizer setting information.

Next, in step S206, the terminal apparatus 400 monitors communication onthe CAN bus through the gateway apparatus 200 so as to determine whetherthe equalizer setting of the car audio apparatus 500 has been performedproperly. And if the equalizer of the car audio apparatus 500 has beenset properly, the processing proceeds from step S207 to step S208 (Yesin step S207).

And in step S208, the setting of the equalizer has been completed, andthe processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the equalizer of thecar audio apparatus 500 is not properly set, the processing proceedsfrom step S207 to step S209 (No in step S207).

Next, in step S209, a determination is made of whether a predeterminedtime period has passed or not. If the predetermined time period has notpassed, the processing proceeds to step S206, and a determination ismade again of whether the equalizer of the car audio apparatus 500 hasbeen set properly or not.

On the other hand, in step S209, if determined that a predetermined timeperiod has passed, the processing proceeds to step S210 (Yes in stepS209). And in step S210, the application control section 161 of theterminal apparatus 400 notifies an error to the user. If the equalizerof the car audio apparatus 500 is not properly set after a predeterminedtime period passed, some trouble might have occurred in any one of theapparatuses or a network. The error notification is given to the user inorder to inform this occurrence.

For a method of notifying the error, it is thought that a characterstring, an image, an icon, or the like is displayed on the displaysection 150, or a sound message is output from a speaker included in theterminal apparatus 400, and so on. The display on the display section150 and the sound message may be used at the same time.

The processing in the second embodiment is performed as described above.By the second embodiment, it is possible to set the equalizer at thetime of playing back a content in accordance with ambient soundcollected by the microphone 410, and thus it is possible to play backthe content with better sound quality.

Also, the determination of the equalizer setting is carried out by theterminal apparatus 400, and thus it is not necessary to make a change tothe gateway apparatus 200 and the car audio apparatus 500. It ispossible to use those apparatuses in a related-art state without change.

Further, the equalizer setting information determined by the terminalapparatus 400 is transmitted to the car audio apparatus 500 through thegateway apparatus 200, and thus it is not necessary to directly operatethe car audio apparatus 500 in order to set the equalizer setting.Accordingly, it is possible for a user seated away from the car audioapparatus 500 to carry out equalizer setting, and to play back acontent.

3. Third Embodiment 3.1 Configuration of Terminal Apparatus

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the presenttechnique. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of aterminal apparatus according to the third embodiment. The terminalapparatus 600 according to the third embodiment is different from thefirst embodiment in the point of being provided with an equalizeranalysis/determination section 610. The other components are the same asthose of the first embodiment, and thus the descriptions thereof areomitted.

The equalizer analysis/determination section 610 performs publicly notedsound analysis processing on streaming data, and obtains the frequencycharacteristic of a content. And the equalizer analysis/determinationsection 610 determines the equalizer setting on the basis of thefrequency characteristic information. For an equalizer setting, forexample, if a low frequency range not higher than about 100 Hz has apredetermined value or more, the gain for a frequency not higher than100 Hz is decreased by a certain amount. Also, if the low frequencyrange has a predetermined value or less, the gain for the low frequencyrange is increased by a certain amount, and so on. This is the same fora high frequency range, and a medium frequency range. Also, a largenumber of pre-set values for equalizer setting are stored in a car audioapparatus 500 in advance, and a pre-set value may be selected to matchan analysis result of an input sound so as to determine an equalizersetting.

The calculated equalizer setting information is transmitted to the caraudio apparatus 500 through the gateway apparatus 200 in the same manneras the second embodiment. The configuration of the car audio apparatus500 is the same as that in the second embodiment. The equalizer settingsection 510 of the car audio apparatus 500 sets the equalizer in theaudio signal processing section 390 on the basis of the equalizersetting information transmitted from the terminal apparatus 600 throughthe gateway apparatus. Thereby, it is possible for the car audioapparatus 500 to play back a content with sound adjusted by theequalizer setting calculated by the terminal apparatus 600.

The terminal apparatus 600 according to the third embodiment isconfigured as described above. In this regard, the configurations of thegateway apparatus 200 and the car audio apparatus 500 are the same asthose in the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof will beomitted.

3.2 Processing in Content Playback System

Next, a description will be given of processing in a content playbacksystem according to a third embodiment with reference to flowcharts inFIG. 10 and FIG. 13. The same step number is given to the sameprocessing as that in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, andthe detailed description thereof is omitted. The flowchart in FIG. 10,which illustrates the processing in the second embodiment, is the sameas that in the third embodiment, and thus the description will be givenfrom step S301 in FIG. 13.

In step S301, the equalizer analysis/determination section 610 of theterminal apparatus 600 analyzes the sound of the content datatransmitted from the terminal apparatus 600 to the car audio apparatus500, and determines the equalizer setting. Next, in step S302, theequalizer setting information is transmitted to the car audio apparatus500 through the gateway apparatus 200. And the equalizer setting section510 of the car audio apparatus 500 performs the equalizer setting on thebasis of the equalizer setting information. The processing from stepS206 to step S210 is the same as the processing in the secondembodiment.

The processing in the third embodiment is performed as described above.By the third embodiment, it is possible to set the equalizer at the timeof playing back a content in accordance with the acoustic characteristicof a content, and thus it is possible to play back a content with goodsound quality.

4. Variations

In the above, descriptions have been specifically given of theembodiments of the present techniques. However, the present technique isnot limited to the above-described embodiments. It is possible to makevarious alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent technique. It is possible to configure the present technique asfollows.

(1) A terminal apparatus including: by way of a gateway apparatusconfigured to perform communication with an in-vehicle apparatus capableof playing back a content through a CAN bus, a first communicationsection configured to transmit command information for changing a modeof the in-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and a secondcommunication section configured to transmit content data to thein-vehicle apparatus.

(2) The terminal apparatus according to (1), wherein the commandinformation changes the in-vehicle apparatus to a mode for playing backthe content data.

(3) The terminal apparatus according to (1) or (2), further including astate determination section configured to determine whether thein-vehicle apparatus has been changed to a mode for playing back thecontent data.

(4) The terminal apparatus according to (3), wherein the statedetermination section determines whether a mode of the in-vehicleapparatus has been changed by monitoring communication of the in-vehicleapparatus on the CAN bus by way of the gateway apparatus.

(5) The terminal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), whereinthe first communication section performs communication with the gatewayapparatus through wireless communication.

(6) The terminal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), whereinthe second communication section performs communication with thein-vehicle apparatus through wireless communication.

(7) The terminal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6), furtherincluding an equalizer setting determination section configured todetermine setting of an equalizer when input sound is analyzed and thecontent data is played back, wherein the first communication sectiontransmits equalizer setting information determined by the equalizersetting determination section to the in-vehicle apparatus by way of thegateway apparatus.

(8) The terminal apparatus according to (7), further including amicrophone configured to input sound, wherein the equalizer settingdetermination section analyzes the sound input from the microphone, anddetermines the equalizer setting.

(9) The terminal apparatus according to (7), wherein the equalizersetting determination section analyzes the content data, and determinesthe equalizer setting.

(10) A method of transmitting a content, the method including: by way ofa gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with anin-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CANbus, transmitting command information for changing a mode of thein-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and transmittingcontent data to the in-vehicle apparatus.

(11) A content transmission program for causing a computer to perform amethod of transmitting a content, the method including: by way of agateway apparatus configured to perform communication with an in-vehicleapparatus capable of playing back a content through a CAN bus,transmitting command information for changing a mode of the in-vehicleapparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and

-   -   transmitting content data to the in-vehicle apparatus.

(12) A content playback system including: a terminal apparatus includingto a gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with anin-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CANbus, a first communication section configured to transmit commandinformation for changing a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus, and asecond communication section configured to transmit content data to thein-vehicle apparatus; a gateway apparatus configured to transmit thecommand information transmitted from the terminal apparatus to thein-vehicle apparatus; and an in-vehicle apparatus configured to playback the content data transmitted from the terminal apparatus.

What is claimed is:
 1. A terminal apparatus comprising: by way of agateway apparatus configured to perform communication with an in-vehicleapparatus capable of playing back a content through a CAN bus, a firstcommunication section configured to transmit command information forchanging a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus;and a second communication section configured to transmit content datato the in vehicle apparatus.
 2. The terminal apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the command information changes the in-vehicleapparatus to a mode for playing back the content data.
 3. The terminalapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a state determinationsection configured to determine whether the in-vehicle apparatus hasbeen changed to a mode for playing back the content data.
 4. Theterminal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the state determinationsection determines whether a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus has beenchanged by monitoring communication of the in-vehicle apparatus on theCAN bus by way of the gateway apparatus.
 5. The terminal apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the first communication section performscommunication with the gateway apparatus through wireless communication.6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the secondcommunication section performs communication with the in-vehicleapparatus through wireless communication.
 7. The terminal apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising an equalizer settingdetermination section configured to determine setting of an equalizerwhen input sound is analyzed and the content data is played back,wherein the first communication section transmits equalizer settinginformation determined by the equalizer setting determination section tothe in-vehicle apparatus by way of the gateway apparatus.
 8. Theterminal apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a microphoneconfigured to input sound, wherein the equalizer setting determinationsection analyzes the sound input from the microphone, and determines theequalizer setting.
 9. The terminal apparatus according to claim 7,wherein the equalizer setting determination section analyzes the contentdata, and determines the equalizer setting.
 10. A method of transmittinga content, the method comprising: by way of a gateway apparatusconfigured to perform communication with an in-vehicle apparatus capableof playing back a content through a CAN bus, transmitting commandinformation for changing a mode of the in-vehicle apparatus to thein-vehicle apparatus; and transmitting content data to the in-vehicleapparatus.
 11. A content transmission program for causing a computer toperform a method of transmitting a content, the method comprising: byway of a gateway apparatus configured to perform communication with anin-vehicle apparatus capable of playing back a content through a CANbus, transmitting command information for changing a mode of thein-vehicle apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; and transmittingcontent data to the in-vehicle apparatus.
 12. A content playback systemcomprising: a terminal apparatus including to a gateway apparatusconfigured to perform communication with an in-vehicle apparatus capableof playing back a content through a CAN bus, a first communicationsection configured to transmit command information for changing a modeof the in-vehicle apparatus, and a second communication sectionconfigured to transmit content data to the in-vehicle apparatus; agateway apparatus configured to transmit the command informationtransmitted from the terminal apparatus to the in-vehicle apparatus; andan in-vehicle apparatus configured to play back the content datatransmitted from the terminal apparatus.